Madison Barnes
Introduction My name is Madison Barnes and I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. I am a senior at the University of Oklahoma and will be graduating in May 2014. My degree will be a B.A. in Journalism in Advertising, and I will have a minor in sociology. After graduation I will be getting TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certified, and hopefully moving to Southeast Asia to teach English for a year. This wiki page is a history of my family. When my parents married 24 years ago, they created a bond between two very different families. My dad’s side of the family has lived in Dallas, Texas for as long as anyone can remember. For three generations they have lived in the same neighborhood, enjoyed city life and all of the things Dallas has to offer. My mom side of the family, on the other hand, comes from a small town in Kentucky. Currently, Cold Water, Kentucky has an estimated population of 100. My grandparents still live in the same house that my mom grew up in, situated on my family’s farm on Darnell road. Also living on Darnell Road was my late great-grandmother until she passed away, two of my granddads siblings, and three of my cousins. I am so thankful for both sides of my family, and their unique differences because those differences are what have made me into the person I am today. 'The Barnes 'Three Generations Back' ''The Great-Grandparents: Loyce P Barnes & Ora Modelle Barnes --- Married June 11, 1923 Earnest Thomas Gallatin & Lillie Josephine Gallatin --- Married December 15, 1918 The Grandparents: Melton Lee Barnes & Cora Wretha Barnes --- Married January 25, 1952 The Children: Melton Eugene Barnes (my dad), Lisa Marie Barnes, Tina Jo Barnes 'Their Story' The Barnes family moved to the United States some time in the last 1600’s from Europe. After moving to the United States, they moved around quite a bit. They first moved to Virginia, where the family resided for several generations. After that, some of the family moved to Tennessee, while others moved to North Carolina. In 1900, Eugenia Williams, who was my great-great-great grandmother, moved to Dallas, Texas with her husband Brooks Wakefield Barnes. Most of the family has resided in Texas ever since. According to my research, most of the men in my family started out as farmers, and later served in the military. After their service, they either went back to farming, or in later years went on to work in industrial factories. The women were stay at home mothers, and looking after the children was their full time job. The Barnes are known to be very politically conservative. My aunt has done research and created a profile on ancestry.com, and has been working on building our family tree. According to DNA analysis, the Barnes family is 39% British, 31% Irish, 14% Italian/Greek, and 7% Scandinavian. 'Interesting Facts' Lillie Josephine Gallatin, my great-grandmother, was a distant relative Jesse James . James is most known through history as being an American outlaw, robber, gang leader, and murderer. Robert Ford, an associate whom he had trusted, killed him in 1882. Ford had secretly made a deal with the Missouri governor at the time to bring in the famous outlaw in. Lillie Josephine Gallatin was also a close friend of Bonnie Parker’s mother, Emma Krause. Bonnie Parker was best known as part of the famous outlaw duo Bonnie and Clyde . Both Bonnie and Clyde were killed in an ambush in May 1934. Lillie and her daughter Cora (my grandmother), who was three years old at the time, both attended Bonnie’s funeral. 'The Darnell's' 'Three Generations Back' The Great-Grandparents: Stanley Darnell and Fern Nell Darnell --- Married May 6, 1939 James Lyman Hargis & Ruby Marie Hargis --- Married August 22, 1942 The Grandparents: Ralph Edward Darnell & Judith Faye Darnell --- Married February 22, 1960 The Children: Rhonda Gail Darnell (my mom), Larry Edward Darnell, Dedarah Faye Darnell 'Their Story' The Darnell’s have lived in Kentucky and Tennessee since arriving in the United States. Most of them have been farmers, learning to live off of the land starting at a young age. It is said that my great great great grandfather married a woman who was part of the Cherokee tribe, but I was not able to confirm that. Ralph Darnell grew up in Coldwater, a small town in Western Kentucky. He was one of 6 children. From an early age, he learned the ways of farming and would help his dad Stanley in the tobacco fields and cornfields. Tobacco has always been the biggest cash crop for the Darnell family. Six generations prior to my grandfather grew tobacco. It is one of the most labor-intensive crops grown today. My mother has memories of watching the process and the many steps that were taken to insure a good crop. His mother Fern stayed at home and took care of the house and children. Judith Hargis, my grandmother, grew up in Kirksy, Kentucky, a town over from Coldwater. Her family eventually moved to Murray, Kentucky, which in comparison is much larger. Judith and Ralph met in elementary school. They eventually began dating and got married in 1960, when Ralph was 18 and Judith was 15. They then went on to have three children. My mom has several unique memories from growing up in a rural community. One of them was how families would join in together for a “hog killing”. The process was long and families depended upon this for meat for the winter. Families supported each other in these rural communities and there were many opportunities for them to come together. The annual revival was popular among many. Services at the local churches would go on for two or three hours. This event would end with home cooked food that had been harvested from the gardens. The Darnell’s are known for being politically liberal. 'Interesting Facts' According to my mother, Kentucky has long been known for its “moonshine” and the family affair of hiding it. My granddad jokes each year about how our distant relatives still make moonshine out in the “backwoods” and if he wanted to, he could go out and buy some right now. Although people may only think of moonshine and hillbillies when they think about Kentucky, there is much more to this beautiful state. The art of working together for the benefit of the whole family and community is just one reason why I am proud to say that I have family that live there. Davy Crocket , who fought at the Alamo during the Texas Revolution, was a descendent of Emily Jane Hargis. This makes him a distant relative to my grandmother Judith Hargis. 'My Family' Eugene Barnes and Rhonda Darnell married on July 14, 1990 in a small church in Sudbury, Massachusetts. The have lived in Dallas with their two children ever since. I was born March 30, 1992, and my brother Trent was born on November 27, 1995. Looking back on my family’s history has been very interesting. I never realized how luck I am to have known all 4 of my great grandmothers. Two of them passed away before I was five, but both of my maternal great grandmothers lived well into my teenage years. I think my family’s background has definitely contributed to who I am today. They are very different, but those differences are what have helped create the unique perspective that I have on life. I can’t wait to see how my family and its history continue to influence my decisions. I am blessed beyond belief to have such amazing people in my life.